


pains

by greedlings



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, minor ? angst, this is the writers equivalent of a 3am doodle okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 10:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19868125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greedlings/pseuds/greedlings
Summary: ed's phantom pains act up again, but there's something very different about this one.





	pains

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this at three in the morning but i think it's pretty good so here i am
> 
> also the wonderful jumpforjo drew a little doodle inspired by this :v (https://twitter.com/jumpforjo/status/1151040764421578754)

Ed woke with a start, desperately reaching for his metal limb. The pain was unbearable, though there was no way there should be pain.

But it hurt, it hurt _ so much _ , and Ed could feel the tears fall from his eyes as he pulled his leg to his chest. He rested his forehead on his knee and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. 

He’d dealt with this before; though it hadn’t happened since he regained arm, Ed was familiar with the phantom pains in his automail. They were always bad, but all he had to do was breathe, just breathe, and they’d go away. Eventually.

So he inhaled slowly, then let out a shaky exhale. Then he did it again. Then again. And again. 

Then another pain shot through the nonexistent nerves in his leg, and Ed felt his chest tighten with the pain. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t think; all Ed could do was let his tears slide down his cheeks, forming dark, wet spots on the fabric of his pants.

Suddenly, there was a gentle hand on his shoulder and another on his hands, now tightly gripping the cold metal. His leg was so cold, so cold, and yet the warmth from this third hand seemed to seep through into the metal.

Ed managed to lift his head from his knee, and although his body felt encased in ice, he managed to turn his head towards Ling. Something about the worry in Ling’s eyes made the tears fall faster, and Ed let himself fall into Ling’s arms, still clutching his automail. 

“You’ll be okay,” Ling managed as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. He rested on Ed’s arm, the other hand gently stroking Ed’s hair.

Ed let his tears fall; his sobs came in waves, and Ling tightened his hold on Ed with every one. Even though Ed would usually be embarrassed by this, and that even Ling hadn’t seen this side of him before, and that there was no real pain, he let himself curl into Ling as he cried. 

And, though Ed had never let himself be vulnerable in front of others, the warmth of Ling’s arms convinced Ed that—just this once—it was alright. 

Ed didn’t remember nodding off in Ling’s arms, his eyes long dried of their tears; he did remember, however, the gentle touch of Ling’s lips on his cheek as he laid Ed back down on the bed. Ling’s hand fell to Ed’s as he laid back down beside Ed. Slowly, Ling wormed his fingers into the spaces between Ed’s. 

For the first time in many, many years, Ed was completely at peace as he drifted off once again to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! comments and kudos are always appreciated <3<3<3
> 
> you can find me on twitter @greedlings_ and on tumblr @greecllings !!!


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